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Heartland, Vertex Moving to Boston’s Waterfront

Cambridge, MA-based Heartland Robotics, the manufacturing robotics company founded by Rod Brooks, is moving into a larger office space in Boston’s Fort Point district next week, according to a report in Mass High Tech. The news comes on the heels of a Boston Globereport that says Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: VRTX), also based in Cambridge, has signed a letter of intent to move its headquarters to Boston’s waterfront area (Fan Pier) in late 2013. The move is contingent upon Vertex receiving federal approval of its hepatitis C drug, telaprevir, according to the Globe (more details on that process here). Boston mayor Tom Menino has designated the waterfront area as an “Innovation District” and is providing tax incentives for Vertex. This isn’t the first time Vertex has talked about moving to Boston. In 2008, the company signed a similar letter of intent to move to Fan Pier before extending its leases in Cambridge the following year.

Gregory T. Huang is Xconomy's Deputy Editor, National IT Editor, and Editor of Xconomy Boston. E-mail him at gthuang [at] xconomy.com. Follow @gthuang